What Can We Learn from Newton’s First Law of Motion?

The first part of Newton’s First Law of Motion states, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to remain at rest.”

Do you ever get stuck in your own inertia?  Of course you do!  We all do from time to time.

I think it’s a safe assumption to say that oftentimes our “inertia’ might be due to lack of confidence in taking effective action.  And if we don’t feel confident, what do we feel?  Doubt?  Fear?  Yup!  Fear is the flip side of confidence.

If you ever find yourself a “body at rest” but don’t want to remain there – the first thing you should say to yourself is “what am I afraid of?”  “What fear or doubt is keeping me from taking action?”  The second question to ask yourself is, “How do I gain more confidence in this area?”

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Part two of Newton’s Law says, “…unless acted upon by an outside force.”  The best way I’ve found for getting unstuck from my own inertia is finding an “outside force” to kick me in the psychological butt – to get me going again.

So where do you find that outside force?  Usually it’s a friend or loved one who can give you a loving, but stern push (or two or three pushes if that’s what it takes).

For example, I needed to get going with some sales and marketing activities in a new niche for my business. I was procrastinating.  I went to a friend of mine who also had a similar challenge with his business. Now we are holding weekly phone meetings to set goals, hold each other accountable, and celebrate our successes.

Accountability is a great “outside force” for most people.  What are you putting off?  How can you gain more confidence in that area and who can you find to hold you accountable to do what you say you want to do?

Sometimes our inertia is a “skill” issue.  Sometimes it’s a “will” issue. Know the difference and take action!